Salvia lanigera aka Verbena Sage

Salvia lanigera has the common name wrinkle-leaved sage. It belongs to Lamiaceae, the mint family. Kew lists it as a perennial, a plant that lives for years. Plants For A Future calls it a shrub. Its native range spans the south and east Mediterranean to western Iran. It grows in North Africa and parts of western Asia. Records place it in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. They also list Egypt, Cyprus, and Kuwait. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

This sage grows in deserts and dry shrubland. Plants For A Future records it in Israel’s shrub-steppe. These records place it in open, dry sites. The sources give no sound facts on its full height or spread. They give no details of this species’ bark, stems, or leaves. The common name alone does not tell us the leaf texture. Facts about other sages cannot fill these gaps.

The flowers have both male and female organs. Plants For A Future says insects pollinate the flowers. The evidence does not state when this species blooms. It gives no flower colour for this species. It also gives no details of the fruit or seeds. Plants For A Future lists garden beds as a place to grow it. Its account supports growing it in sun, not shade. Light sandy soil and medium loam suit it. Both need to drain well.

The listed soil range runs from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. Plants For A Future says it accepts dry or moist soil. But the source stresses how little we know about this species. It does not confirm that the plant withstands Britain’s cold. Its fuller growing notes draw on the whole genus. Those notes do not tell us this species’ frost limits. Nor do they show what care it needs in winter. The evidence gives no hardiness zone.

Plants For A Future gives seed-sowing guidance for March or April under glass. It reports that seeds sprout in about two weeks. Move each seedling to its own pot once large enough to handle. The source suggests planting them outside in early summer. It also lists half-ripe cuttings to grow new plants during the growing season. The plant has a recorded use as a tea flavouring. The source does not name the part used. It lists no known hazards or uses as medicine. This does not prove safety for people or pets. The evidence names no pests or diseases for this species.